Return To Innocence
by shesamonster
Summary: [AU] Yuki Sohma was left in the streets of Tokyo to die. Kyoko Honda, an orphanage caretaker, finds & takes him in. With help from her daughter, Tohru, he slowly begins to heal. When his past comes back to haunt him, how will he cope after being so happy?
1. Chapter I: Death Wish

Return To Innocence

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket belongs to Natsuki Takaya.

Everything else in my fanfic are merely figments of my over-worked and over-active imagination.

_Italics-thoughts_

Alternate Universe (AU)

Chapter I: Death Wish

The hurried click of footsteps reverberated softly through the columns of buildings lining the uncharacteristically silent city streets. Ginger-colored hair flayed through the air behind her as she rushed through the thick sheet of rain, harsh winds whipping at her face.

"Damn," Kyoko Honda muttered as she finished searching through the streets, "Poor Tohru will starve at this rate; that other kid is gonna have to wait till tomorrow." She glowered down at her watch as if it would make time stop for her. Unfortunately, defying the laws of physics was not something within her range of capability. Instead, it seemed that the second were ticking by even faster, mocking her as she sprinted home. The single mother picked up her pace as cold rivulets poured mercilessly, raining down on the earth below, the wind temporarily blinding her; she tightened her grip on the umbrella so hard, her knuckles quickly paled as the skin stretched around her fist.

"Geez, it's a good thing I don't have to feed the entire orphanage. I can barely support Tohru and myself as it is." After working several different odd-jobs, Kyoko made a partnership with a friend of hers and opened up a non-government funded orphanage. She had decided to turn her life in this direction after seeing several groups of homeless children while she was still with her gang not too long ago while living in the 'bad' part of Tokyo.

There had been a rumor going around that there was one child, seven years of age—no older than her own daughter—that had been abandoned six or seven months back, left to wander the city alone. Kyoko's heart broke at the mere thought of such a young child out on their own. So, seeing it as her obligation as the president of an orphanage, the single mother took it upon herself to search for the child, mindful to pay attention for any other children in need. Ironically, it was then that the rain chose to crash down on her. Thankfully, she had enough sense to pack an umbrella and some towels in case she did manage to find the child out in the rain.

It was no surprise that god would be against her, but now an innocent child was left out on the streets suffering under the cold shower and her little Tohru was home all alone without her Mama!

As it turns out, Kyoko had no success in finding the child but she did manage to gather that he or she came from a very influential family. The orange-top hadn't the faintest idea how any parent could be cruel enough to just abandon a child; it was inhumane after all.

Such untainted innocence didn't deserve that heartless kind of treatment.

But Kyoko couldn't lie to herself; she had witnessed terrible things happening to children back in her days in as a gang member, abandonment seeming to pale in comparison. She was absolutely ashamed of her behavior when she was a teenager; she was to ignorant to have cared what happened then. Now, however, she was trying to repent for her blissful ignorance.

As the mother jogged up the sidewalk, still several blocks from her apartment, the proposal ring that was all but embedded on her finger was now thoroughly coated in a slick layer of rain water, easing the ring slowly down her finger. It was sheer dumb luck that the young woman noticed before its trip south abruptly ended and was left forgotten in some alley.

Doesn't look like god was the only one against her.

"Jesus Katsuya! Even you're against me now?" she stopped her frenzied marathon back to her apartment with a screeching halt to glower menacingly down at the golden ring resting loosely at the end of her finger. She treasured her marriage above everything else in the world (although her adorable little Tohru could definitely compete), but that husband of hers always knew just how to push her buttons, present or not.

The glower slowly ebbed away, a faraway look bleeding into her brown eyes as she experienced something meant only for her eyes and ears. Coming back to herself, Kyoko heaved a sigh of exasperation and shoved the ring into her jacket pocket. She lovingly fingered the gold band before she pulled her hand out.

"All right, we'll talk another time," she muttered as a goofy grin plastered itself onto her face, seeming to completely contradict the situation she was in. A mock-helpless look replaced the lop-sided grin. "After all, my little Tohru must be scared and hungry without her Mama!"

A cacophony of thunder rang out through the air as if to emphasize her point; a frightened sob barely carried over the harsh winds, yet another emphasis on her situation. Kyoko once again cut short her stride and whipped her head around, trying to spot the origin of the terrified noise. She quickly poked her head into a nearby alley. When she failed to see anything other than trash and the occasional alley cat, concluded it was merely a figment of her over-active imagination.

"See Katsuya? I can already _hear_ poor Tohru." the orange-top gave one last glance at the alley before hurrying off, keeping a sharp eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Again, Kyoko glanced at her watch and swore under her breath. "Damn it's getting late," she muttered, racing off yet again.

Kyoko was so caught up in her thoughts, she failed to notice that her ring was no longer in her pocket, nor hear a small child calling after her.

XXX

A little child sat huddled in the corner of a dark and damp alley, muffled sobs wracking his tiny body as he tried in vain to wipe away the trails of tears and raindrops running lines down his face into the puddle that coagulated beneath his shivering body.

Tragically beautiful violet eyes were framed by rain-slicked silver tresses as he repeated but one word over and over as if it would help him ground his sanity, turning his thoughts away from the death he so desperately wished for.

"Mama, Mama, Mama," the sickly child chanted, his soft voice cracking from the constant tears. It truly was a heart-breaking sight, a child of seven years, abandoned and wishing for death. The trembling boy pulled his knees closer to his chest in a futile attempt to warm his frozen flesh; this only forced out choking coughs, his chest constricting painfully.

Then something tore inside of him.

The pain was almost too overwhelming and it took everything he had to bite back a cry of pain. A bitter metallic-tasting liquid filled his mouth as he coughed into his hands; peering down at his hands hazily, he didn't fail to register the blood blossoming through his fingers.

It was no use; no matter how hard he tried, he could no longer keep the tears at bay. It had been so long since he got lost, since his Mama smiled at him and told him stories and tucked him into bed. The little boy could still remember the tendrils of warmth his Mama's hand gave of when she held his own.

Just another precious memory beginning to fade with time.

But after having so much time to think, the boy began to realize that those motherly never quite felt as tender and loving as they appeared. Nii-san once told him something about "motherhood being an obligation" to their Mama, but he didn't understand what that meant.

Why were Mama's bedtime stories always rushed?

Why did he never get hugs and kisses?

Why didn't Mama say goodnight when she tucked him in for bed?

Why were Mama's knuckles always white when she 'held' his hand?

Even so, the child cherished those memories because they were the only ones he had.

He held the memories of the world's prettiest smile close to his heart and refused to let go.

After all, why would anyone want to forget the world's prettiest smile?

Everything around him seemed to be getting dimmer and hazier now; maybe now his weak lungs would let him die. It was about time, after all. Then maybe, just maybe, the angels would let him see daddy again.

Just then, at the mouth of the alley, a frenzied blur of orange and a hysteric voice rushed by. He distinctly heard a small clatter accompany the rush of bright color.

_What was that_…?Curiosity, anxiousness, and eagerness coupled together at the realization that he might've found help. He quickly scrambled to his feet, ready to pursue the orange rush.

As he pulled himself unsteadily to his feet, a sickening crack tore through the air as lightning drowned the earth with a sheet of eerie white. The little boy let slip a cry of fear, collapsing on the ground, huddling back into the corner and began to sob. He covered his ears and buried his face into his knees in an attempt to drown out the frightening noises. The terrifying crack of the thunder sounded suspiciously like the familiar crack of a whip, making the tears flow even faster. Once the crashing dulled down to the constant but soothing white noise of the rain, only then did the child release himself from the protective cocoon he curled up in.

Pulling himself together, he pulled himself up once again, edging his way to the mouth of the dark pit.

_But what if that was a bad person who might try to hurt me? _His Nii-san had warned him about those bad people after all. It soon became clear to him that it didn't matter; clearly no one was going to find him or help him of their own free will, so he may as well ask for it.

He ignored the little voice in the back of his head telling him that Mama no longer cared what happened to him.

A soft glint near his foot caught his attention just as he was about to round the corner out of the alley. Quickly wiping the blood lingering on his hands, he knelt down and gently scooped up the ring.

_A ring…? _He reasoned that it must have been a woman who had passed by if she were the one to have dropped the ring.

_I should return this before I lose her. _The boy resolutely thought to himself.

Heart now swelling with hope, he quickly rounded the corner and began searching for any sign of orange. A familiar yet obscure blur of orange was up ahead of him; he was positive that it was indeed a woman.

Unfortunately, she seemed to be running her own marathon.

"Wait!" he cried weakly, breaking into a run after her. The boy's malnourished body ached from the sheer effort it took and his lungs burned painfully inside him.

The thought of the blood was not forgotten, but he urged on.

XXX

"That stupid car had better be working now, "Kyoko bit out, her grip on the umbrella handle growing vice-like in an attempt to douse her frustration. She forgot her cell phone at home so she couldn't call the orphanage's private driver. She'd been running a little low on cash as well, so she didn't want to spend what little she had in her purse on a taxi, even if it summed up to being soaked to the bone, courtesy of cars driving into puddles on the side of the road in addition to the storm. Thankfully, the worst had passed and the heavy rains had died down to a gentle drizzle with the occasional breeze.

Her apartment building was only a few blocks away now. The mother sighed in relief, contenting herself with the thought of some miso soup and left-over onigiri upon her return home. She reached her hand into her coat absently to finger the ring. She could only blink stupidly as she watched her finger pass right through the up-until-now unnoticed hole in her pocket; it didn't register with her instantaneously but when it did, Kyoko immediately felt the color draining from her face. She leaned the brunt of her weight onto a nearby wall, not trusting herself enough not to collapse.

_Oh god… the ring… where is it? _The voice in her head shrieked. The mother frantically searched the surrounding area for any sign of the ring.

_I have to find Katsuya… but I can't leave Tohru home any longer…_

The image of an adorable girl with teary brown eyes and a cute hair bauble appeared at the forefront of her mind. Torn between rushing home to her precious daughter or searching through heaven and hell and the things in between for her ring, tendrils of icy numbness ghosted their way up her spine.

She almost didn't notice that the muffled sobs floating through the air were her own.

What was she to do? For all she knew, her ring could be in a sewer somewhere or even on someone else's _finger_.

The endless scenarios that could've befallen Katsuya made her run even faster.

At that moment, it didn't matter that the rain stopped falling.

It didn't matter that she probably caught the flu.

It didn't matter that her car broke down.

It didn't matter that a child had been abandoned.

It didn't matter that _thousands _of children had been abandoned or a whole scenario of other things.

It_ almost_ didn't matter that her daughter was home alone.

Hell, it wouldn't have mattered if the world stopped spinning.

All that mattered was finding Katsuya.

"Katsuya!" she screeched, tears and raindrops running down her face, mingling together. "Where are you, Katsuya!?" She tore back down the street she had been so determined to get off of. Her voice was laced with desperation and anguish.

Just moments ago, the thought of being at home with her little Tohru at home, sleeping under the kotatsu was all that had been on her mind; now, she was the furthest thing from it. She vaguely felt something collide with her but it never registered with her.

She didn't know how much time passed by but soon she found herself staring down at a child huddled at her feet.

Kyoko hurriedly brushed away her tears and peered down at the boy. Hazy, dusk-colored eyes stared worriedly at her, silently pleading for help. After along drawn out sniff on her part, Kyoko rubbed at her damp face with her sleeve, and offered the child a shaky yet sunny smile.

This had to be the child she had previously been searching for. The orange-tops heart went out to him; his skin was paper-white, hands dappled with blood, he was soaked to the bone, shivering, and his face was flushed with fever.

"Hey there," the mother crooned lovingly, kneeling down to his level.

_What _mother _in her right mind could let this happen? How could someone be so damn cruel, leaving such an innocent child like this?_

Kyoko pulled him underneath the umbrella, protecting him from the constant spray of the drizzle. Shuffling through her small duffle bag, she pulled out a towel and gently rubbed him down.

"So what's your name, kiddo?" she asked tenderly, draping the towel over his heaving shoulders.

The boy was silent for a moment, save for his wheezing as he tried to regain his breath. "_…_Yu_ …_ki." he managed to wheeze between breaths.

His difficulty breathing didn't go unnoticed. "Yuki, you weren't chasing after me, were you?"

For a moment, the child feared that this stranger was angry with him; he didn't answer for a long time. Instead he answered by opening up his fist, revealing a ring.

_Her _ring.

"I-is this y-yours_…_?" he stuttered shyly, almost too soft for Kyoko to have heard.

The orange-top's breath audibly hitched and her heart leapt into her throat, the sight of her ring cradled in Yuki's blue-tinted fingers. Tears once again gathered into her eyes and it took all she had to keep the dam behind her eyes from breaking.

Seeing that Yuki was still having difficulty breathing broke her heart. Not only that but she felt an insurmountable amount of shame flood into her. This child whom didn't even know her, a complete stranger, was selfless enough to come after her in his shaky frame of health to return a lost article of jewelry and she, who didn't even have enough of her priorities in order, was prepared to leave her 7 year-old child home alone.

Gratitude filling her being, she gave the boy a 500-watt smile and pulled him into loving embrace.

The first he'd had in years.

_Thank you._

XXX

**Featured Song**

Long Way To Happy

-Pink

XXX

Well, you can figure out whose thought that was.

See, that button down there? Press it to win a million dollars.

Please review or my heart can't take it.

♥ Pocky-Pocky-chan ♥


	2. Chapter II: Touching Angels

Nya, hello everyone! T'is I, Pocky-Pocky-chan! I'm sorry for the slow updates but I'm lazy beyond compare… -rolls eyes-

First off, thank you everyone who reviewed the first chapter! I love you all! I was worried that I wouldn't get too many reviews or that no one would read this because it was too bland; lo and behold, I have a whooping 20 reviews. I'm touched! While I was writing the rough draft, I kept adding detail after detail and I still felt it wasn't good enough. Even as I was typing it up, it still didn't seem appealing to me, but to know that people are willing to cling to my leg just to get me to update! _-cough_Darkened Ruby_cough- _thank you all so much!

I'm very proud of this fic, so I have no plans to give up on it, however, things might progress a bit slowly. I plan to bring in as many characters as possible from the manga/anime, and there is no curse. It took a lot of _intricate _planning and mulling things over (and over and over while questioning if anyone would still read…) but I decided that I think I can work around it. The last chapter has been revised a bit, but nothing much; just some spell-checking. For each chapter, I will feature a song whose lyrics fit the mood of the chapter. Granted I won't add the lyrics because has stupid rules and won't allow me to add copyrighted lyrics without getting my story removed TT.TT Instead, on some tid-bits from the song will be included.

Replies to reviews…

**NekoBun: **Thank you, my first reviewer, for sacrificing your time and millions of dollars for poor little ol' me :) I'm glad you enjoyed!

**midnight 1987: **second chapter…? Maybe was stupid again and messed something up? –shrug- I'm flattered that I made you cry…as mean as it sounds -.-; To me it just means that it was touching (or something along those lines…) enough to draw a reaction I didn't expect to get!

**Dragonjewel24: **Oh Yuki, why do I torture him so? Well, he's luck he's only seven, otherwise I would've had a lot more fun torturing him… -evil eye- Thanks for the review!

**red butterfly 16: **Thank you very much:)

**Lady Of Wolves: **I'm glad you enjoyed it! I'll update as often as possible!

**chocolate waffle-san:** Thank you for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed!

**HelloKat:** Thank you so much for your review, H'Kat, and please forgive me for not reviewing SOS frequently! I'll try and do so as soon as possible! And yes, I figured that if this fic didn't appeal to too many people, than at the very least, I thought that baby Yun-Yun would rouse some sort of pitying reaction :) HURRAY FOR CHIBI YUKI AND TOHRU! I really thought that Kyoko was a great character, even though I don't know much about her at this point –sweat-drop- I thought it would be fun to mess around with her for a bit! And yes, _many _faults never cease to annoy me either -.-+

**Kamikaze Tama:** Goodness me, my fics have screwed over lots of people in the past; consider yourself lucky that this one doesn't have _nearly _as much corny angst as my one-shots –rolls eyes- Thanks for the review and I'll pay for the therapy ;)

**HeartAngel:** Wow, I guess that me actually _updating _must be very exciting! ; Thanks for the review and alert!

**koryu uchiha: **Thanks for the review! I'm glad you think it's good :)

**super manako sohma:** Don't you worry! I'm going for at _least _10 chapters with this fic, if not more! …Unless no one likes it… Any you don't have to worry about demanding too much; I'm always glad to hear what my readers think I should do with my little musings, whether or not keep them one-shots or not. Thanks for the review and enjoy this chapter!

**Witty Tigress:** Thanks very much for the review. I'm happy you think I captured those feeling nicely -

**Yuuki Toshi:** I'm very glad you think so! Please enjoy this chapter!

**H.E.Y.T.S:** -snort- heart problems all around, eh? I can't live without reviews and you can't live without updates! Well then, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Avril L.:** I love your pen name! Thanks for the review!

**Darkened Ruby:** Holy shiznit, no one's ever clung to my leg and begged me to update before, I'm flattered:)

**xxAmethystEyesxx:** I love your pen name so much! I think about Yuki every time I see it! I'm happy that you think the story is different. That's kinda what I was aiming for.

**sofia815:** I know, isn't he? –happy dance-

**over-mist:** After making so many people cry, I hope that the fluff will make you happy! There isn't too much in this chapter, but there will be _a lot_ in the next few chapters!

**edge-of-reality:** Thank you for your attempt at a good review ;) Just kidding! I appreciate anything that anyone is willing to write for Thank you so very much for that kind review! I'm touched that you think my fic is _that _good. I tried my very best to keep them as IC as possible, considering the fact that I don't know too much about Kyoko and I've never seen much of little Yuki.

**demonXslayerXsango: **-giggle- You think my fic is emo-ish? I find that somewhat funny. You really think it was that good? I'm absolutely flattered! I find it hard to believe that anyone would abandon something so sweet! I will elaborate on why he was abandoned later on, although I can't really say it would justify the deed…! Thanks for the review!

XXX

Return To Innocence

Disclaimer: Natsuki Takaya owns Fruits Basket, and I never will, no matter how much I ask Santa Clause for it.

Everything else in this fic are merely figments of my over-worked and over-active imagination.

_Italics - thoughts_

'stuff' – thoughts in flashbacks

Alternate Universe (AU)

Chapter II: Touching Angels

A tiny young girl wearing a hair bauble and pink pajamas much too big for her and a stuffed orange cat clutched in her pudgy hand stood by the window on her tip-toes, counting the raindrops as the slid haltingly down the chilled window glass, pooling on the wooden pane.

Little Tohru Honda rubbed her eyes with her 'Neko-chan' as she tried to hold back her tears of worry. Several hours ago, Mama had dropped her off at home after school, telling her that she had someone to look for.

Mama had promised she would hurry so that they could sit under the kotatsu and then Mama would tell her the story of the Chinese Zodiac, or maybe the story about the moon boy…

Those were her most favorite stories in the world.

But maybe she was being selfish. After all, Tohru _did_ know what her mother did for a living; she took care of children just like her without homes or mommies or daddies, and gave them food and a warm house. Mama had told her lots of stories about the children she would find. Some were sick, or homeless, or abandoned, or some were just lost.

That's why Tohru was a thankful girl; she was thankful she had a nice cozy home, she had three square meals a day, she had a nice warm bed, and a wonderful school, and a mommy to love her and give her hugs and kisses and tell her bedtime stories. Even though she didn't have a daddy anymore, she was as happy as can be.

But still. She was worried.

_What if Mama got hurt and won't come home? Just like when daddy left…?_

After all, Mama never stays out too late.

After her father had 'left', it had been a scary time for Tohru, who had only been three at the time. She remembered finding her mother in front of her father's shrine holding a knife.

Tears finally fell down the brunette's face as she buried her face in her kitten plushy as memories with faded edges entered her mind; although fuzzy and grey, Tohru could still recognize very clearly the near-tragedy.

Rubbing at her tear-stained face, Tohru forced her thoughts away from such sad days and to happier things like counting all the stars in the sky or all the raindrops on the window or searching through all the faces she could find on the street for the one as pretty as the moon…

XXX

_When she was a child, Kyoko had had her own secret garden away from the world, where it was just her and the grass between her toes and the wild flowers that sprouted for miles._

_Naturally though, secrets aren't meant to be kept, especially when you have a daughter. One clear spring evening, after many subway rides and long walks away from the city, she decided to share with Tohru her little corner of the world._

_The little girl had been overcome with joy at the sight of the lush green grass dotted with a myriad of colors. Mother and daughter had spent hours into the night picking and weaving flowers of all kinds and colors. After their long hours of chain-weaving and crown-making, Tohru curled up in her mother's lap, too exhausted to do much of anything._

_As her mother tenderly stroked her hair, she asked, "How would Tohru-chan like to hear a new story?" Feeling tired herself, Kyoko laid down in the grass, still holding her daughter to her chest._

"_Eh? A new bedtime story?" Her doe-brown eyes turned inquisitively to her mother's own chocolate eyes. Kyoko chuckled at the childish question and tenderly kissed Tohru's forehead._

"_Yup, a new story just for my little Onigiri-chan. It's about a beautiful person whose beauty can only be rivaled by the moon."_

"_Eh? Really?" Now the brunette was definitely interested. "But how can someone look like the moon?"_

"_Well," Kyoko started, "look at the moon and tell me what you see."_

_Her daughter sat up, staring intently up at the ball of light. The cute look of concentration plastered on her face was almost laughable._

"_Sometimes, it's pale blue or white…and it has pretty, silvery rings on it…"  
_

_Kyoko beamed at Tohru, pride dancing in her eyes. "That's right! Now what else can you see up in the sky? I see dark purple clouds with an even darker sky. Now isn't that pretty too?"_

"_Yeah! And lots of stars too!" Tohru's exhaustion was now completely forgotten. Hugging her mother tighter, she asked, ""Do you think it's a boy or a girl, Mama?"_

"_Honestly, I don't know. What do you think it would be?"_

"_I think that it would be a little boy my age and he would have the prettiest eyes in the world!"_

"_That's so sweet Tohru!" Kyoko gushed. "When you meet someday, I bet it'll be love at first sight!"_

_At this remark, Tohru's cheeks quickly filled with color. "Y-you don't really think that someone as beautiful as the moon would…l-love me…do you Mama? Would someone like that really want to meet plain old me?"_

"_Are you kidding me? When you're a little older, you'll be so beautiful that no one could resist you, least of all the moon boy!" the carrot-top stated knowingly. "Even now, I bet he'd fall head-over-heels in love!"_

_Tohru sighed contentedly and once again curled up against her mother, the excitement finally wearing off leaving her feeling drowsy._

_Hugging her ever-present 'Neko-chan' she murmured, "Then I'll wait for him."_

XXX

_Not long after, Kyoko followed Tohru into dreamland. The stars were still blinking brightly, the moon shining tranquilly; a faint breeze whispered over the horizon, stirring up flower petals and stray leaves._

_Tohru was roused from her peaceful sleep when her mother's hold on her became a bit _too _tight. The little brunette thought she heard her mother mutter 'Katsuya' in her sleep, but she was still too drowsy for it to click with her._

_After tracing the horizon over with her eyes several times, sleep began to elude her. Yawning softly, Tohru quietly wiggled loose from her Mama's death grip._

"_Such pretty flowers…" she murmured appreciatively, walking over to a patch of grass void of flowers, Neko-chan's paw clutched in her hand and trailing behind her._

_Tohru's chocolate-colored eyes trailed over the grass around her, searching for the perfect flower._

'I need to use the perfect flower for this…'

_Her eyes stopped on a lone flower whose petals seemed luminous against the dark horizon. Slinging Neko-chan over her shoulder, Tohru clumsily weaved her way through the flowers, taking care not to step on any other flowers. Kneeling down in front of the flower, she murmured a quick "thank you, flower-san" before plucking it out of the earth._

_Holding the flower so that it was level with her eyes, she twirled it between her thumb and pointer finger._

_Smiling cutely, Tohru plucked one petal, letting the wind carry it away._

"_I'll meet him…"_

_She pulled off another petal._

"_I'll meet him not…"_

_The wind stole the next petal away._

"_I'll meet him…"_

_The petals danced gracefully in the breeze._

"_I'll meet him not…"_

_A single white petal tangled with the innocent child's hair._

"_I'll meet him…"_

_Kyoko watched her daughter, pride brimming in her eyes._

"_I'll meet him not…"_

_One petal remained._

"_I'll meet him."_

_Tohru smiled at the moon, a promise now held in her heart._

"_I promise to meet him one day."_

XXX

Echoes.

Soft voices reverberated hollowly through the inky darkness.

_Why is it so cold…?_

Yuki could feel arising panic coupled with an unexplainable relief building inside of him. What was happening?

_What is this feeling…?_

Although pale and faint, he could see a small spark of light come to life above him.

The hollowness in the voices slowly disappeared, a melodic tone being adopted instead.

The echoes were slowly becoming soothing; the light was filling him with great warmth, despite its small size.

What were those things circling above him?

Why was the light getting bigger and closer?

And then suddenly, somewhere deep inside of him, Yuki knew that it was his time to go and that these were angels who were here to take him to a better place.

To see Daddy again.

Then maybe, just maybe, Mama might be able to smile a real smile again and maybe she'll find someone else to love so that Nii-san could have a little brother that would make him happy.

And he knew it was selfish to think of himself while his entire family was in ruins, but maybe it his heart wouldn't hurt anymore.

Maybe thinking about the world's prettiest smile wouldn't burn so badly.

He reached his small hands out towards the silhouette now in front of him.

_Daddy…?_

But why was he pulling away? Did he do something wrong? Was he not allowed to go to Heaven?

_Come back Daddy, come back!_

_Don't leave me alone!_

His mother's beautiful smile flashed in his mind for but a moment.

_Doesn't anyone love me anymore?_

The light was gone. The echoes faded away.

He was alone, just like always.

The darkness consumed him.

XXX

He saw it. He finally saw it! That had to have been Mama!

"Mama, come back! Come back please…I'm here!"

A little boy no older than seven or eight sat by his bedroom window while all the other children slept. His small hand pressed against the window while the other clutched his pillow, waiting for his Mama to come back and bring him home so that they could all be a happy family again.

"Mom, I know that was you…no one else has orange hair…"

The orange-haired boy narrowed his eyes as he tried to see through the wet window, but it was no use. All he could see were distorted shapes and blobs of color.

The child rubbed at his eyes for the umpteenth time to keep both the exhaustion and tears at bay.

"I'll be good, I promise Mom, I won't cry anymore, o-okay?"

The little boy laid back down in bed, his unusual yet striking crimson eyes never leaving the window.

"I love you, Mom, okay? I w-won't cry anymore, I won't c-cry…"

He buried his face in his pillow to hide his tears.

XXX

Kyoko clutched tighter to the small bundle that was Yuki. The poor child had passed out in her arms when she had embraced him. She had piled the towels from her duffel bag around his near-frozen form and was now running home again, the apartment already in sight.

Despite being freezing, she could feel waves of feverish heat rolling off of Yuki's small body now that he was pressed so closely against her. His breathing was a bit smoother than before, but his breath occasionally hitched while in the midst of a bad dream.

A nightmare, actually.

What puzzled and concerned Kyoko the most was the traces of blood she'd found coating Yuki's hands and clothing. A line creased her forehead as Kyoko assessed the situation in her head.

Had Yuki been hurt? How did it happen? Was it his blood or someone else's?

Kyoko had quickly looked him over before slinging towels around him, but she hadn't seen noticeable injuries.

In his sleep, Yuki had unconsciously latched onto Kyoko's jacket as if she were the only lifeline he had left.

In reality, she probably was.

The ginger-haired woman was pulled from her musings when Yuki shuddered and cried out.

"Daddy!"

Tears began to slip down from under his closed eyelids.

The young woman felt her eyes begin to sting and her throat constrict, her heart wrenching painfully in her chest, as she watched him cry in his sleep.

Kyoko's heart went out to the young boy. All this craziness made the mother's thoughts turn to her own child. If something ever happened to her, what would Tohru do? She'd be all alone in the world. If someone found her out in the streets, would anyone care? Would someone want to help her little baby?

"It's okay," she began crooning to the child, "it's all gonna be okay. I promise. Nothings going to hurt you as long as I'm around." She hoped against hope that somehow, Yuki could hear her words and that they would soothe him. Fortunately, his breathing evened out again and he seemed to relax a bit as she gently began rocking him.

But something seemed off about him.

The usual innocence that most children possessed, especially when asleep, was absent from his face. She'd seen that innocence on every child young enough to believe in Santa Clause, even many from the orphanage.

Even in Tohru.

Could the boy in her arms have been through worse?

And was it possible to return that innocence?

She couldn't help herself anymore. When she'd glimpsed the hopelessness that seemed to be tattooed onto his very existence, Kyoko had wanted to hug him tight and promise him everything.

That they'd find his mother. That he'd have a family again. That he'd be safe and never forgotten again.

More than anything, Kyoko hated making promises because from her experiences in life, she learned that there were times when you just can't keep them, no matter how much you may want to. Oh sure; she could promise little things, like she could promise she wouldn't be late to work, or that she'd get Tohru a lollipop on her ay back from work.

A promise has never really been a promise to her; merely a reassurance. Something she could hold onto, whether it was really there or not.

But maybe she could make him a promise.

One that she _could _keep.

The orange-top gave a sigh or relief as she entered the apartment complex. Shifting the weight in her arms, she reached out to push the 'up' button on the elevator. She trained her soft brown eyes back down at the child curled up in her arms as he began to cough harshly, his body shuddering with each spasm.

"It's okay," she began crooning again. "Deep breaths, _take deep breaths_. It's okay now. We're home."

The metal doors to the elevator finally slid open and Kyoko stepped inside, jabbing at the numbers with more force than they deserved. All too slowly for Kyoko's taste, the cell began its unhurried ascent.

"Gods, Katsuya," Kyoko began muttering again. "If you _ever_ do this to me again, so help me, I will send you on the bullet train to hell."

Although it would probably be a while before she would ever admit it, deep down she knew she owed her husband a thank you. Yuki probably did too. The mother smiled contently despite herself. When the elevator doors opened again, Kyoko all but ran to her apartment, throwing the door open.

"Tohru, I'm home!" she shouted louder than she really needed to.

"Mommy, you're back!" Tohru jumped down from her stool by the window and rushed over to her beloved mother, tugging Neko-chan behind her, and hugged her mother's leg through the long skirt she wore. Tears of relief began to trail down her face.

"I'm so sorry, Tohru." Kyoko shifted the weight in her arms and reached down to pat her daughter's head apologetically. "I was out looking for someone when and your _father_ decided it would be fun to start messing with me." You could practically _hear_ her eyes rolling.

Tohru could only blink in confusion. "E-eh? Daddy?" Then she took notice of the bundle in her mother's arms. "What's that Mama?" she inquired curiously getting only a glimpse of what appeared to be tufts of hair.

"Come take a look." her mother replied as she tried to repress the excited smile twitching at the corners of her mouth. When Kyoko started towards the sofa, Tohru trailed quietly behind her.

Little Tohru watched inquisitively as Mama placed the bundle on the sofa and began to unwrap it like a present, only to wrap it up again it thick blankets.

Shyly peeking her brown eyes from behind her mother, the child stared in awe at what Mama had brought home.

A wet, shivering little boy that couldn't have been much older than herself.

But she couldn't help but feel she was over-looking something.

"Ano…he has…grey hair?" was all she could manage.

Kyoko let out an unladylike snort as she tried to suppress her laughter. "You might find some other unusual things about him, Tohru."

_He's so pretty! I wonder what his eyes look like…?_

Gently taking his hand in her own small one, leaning down closer to the slumbering boy, she managed to hear him mumble something.

"He says he misses his Mama," Tohru reported in a hushed tone, careful not to wake him up, though just as eager to see him open his eyes.

"I know…" the orange-haired woman sighed, her smile faltering, hollowness lacing her words.

Sometimes, she flat-out hated this job. It hurt too much to hear children say things like that; things she could never really heal. Kyoko had been doing this job for years, and yet, telling a child that they'll never see their mommy or daddy again didn't really get an easier.

"We're going to find his mommy and daddy, right?" The young brunette inquired hopefully, her innocence protecting her from facts she couldn't face.

_Please Tohru…you're only going to make this harder for us all._

In her daughter's eyes, she could do no wrong. After all, how could anyone say that a person who opens their home to any child in need could be bad or do _anything _wrong?

Fortunately or unfortunately—it's often hard to tell—so many children under her care were so blissfully innocent to the harsh realities they would have to face sooner or later. After getting over the initial shyness after coming to the orphanage, they would always state how excited they would be when their mommies and daddies came to bring them home.

More often than not, those kids never saw their parents walk through the door.

And yet, many would refuse to face reality.

In fact, there was this one boy with orange hair who was just a bit older than Tohru back at the orphanage. He pretty much kept to himself—though it was easy to tick him off. He'd stand by the window all day, everyday, waiting for his Mama to come bring him home.

He's still waiting.

"Mama? Right?"

It then hit the woman that she had been ignoring Tohru for quite some time.

"Oh, yes Tohru. Of course!" Kyoko plastered what she hoped was a convincing smile before walking into the kitchen to prepare a well-deserved _leftover_ meal.

"Hey Tohru," she called from the kitchen, "do you want anything to eat?"

"No thank you, mom!" she called back over her shoulder. She turned her gaze back to slumbering boy.

"Eh? Y-you're shaking!" True enough, Yuki had curled in on himself and was shivering, his face once again contorted in agony.

"D-don't worry, little boy!" Tohru said resolutely, waving Neko-chan in the air. Tears began to pool in her eyes as he shivered harder. "I'll make it all better!"

The statement could've been considered assertive had she not hiccupped.

XXX

"Gah, when was the last time I cleaned out this fridge?" Kyoko muttered irritably to herself, inspecting various foods for mold before chucking them over her shoulder and into the trash.

Managing to scrape together a meal of leftover soba noodles and takoyaki, the ginger-haired woman shoved her dinner into the microwave, jabbing violently at the numbers.

_Hm, I think I'll grab some onigiri and takoyaki for Tohru and Yuki. Tohru hasn't had anything to eat since I dropped her off and Yuki couldn't have had a decent meal in ages._

Kyoko clenched her fists as she felt her anger rising and her blood beginning to boil.

"Damn it all; if I ever meet the bitch who abandoned him, I'll _kill _her with my own bare hands," the mother muttered between clenched teeth. Of course that probably wouldn't make Yuki feel any better…

After the microwave began a series of obnoxious beeping, Kyoko retrieved her food and walked back into the living room. The sight the greeted her doused her anger, pulling a smile onto her face.

Apparently, Tohru had wanted to make sure Yuki stayed extra warm as she was curled up against him beneath the mountain of blankets with Neko-chan squished between. Tohru was already fat asleep while Yuki seemed both warmer and much more content.

"Sweet dreams, you two."

She could see it now; this was the start of a beautiful friendship, and maybe something more…

XXX

**Featured Song**

If Everyone Cared

-Nickelback

XXX

**Pocky-Pocky's Prozac Land**: Goodness me! Nine pages of angst! And from seven year-olds no less! Ah well, there was some fluff in there! Well, I hope you all enjoyed! So far, this is the longest thing I've ever written. I had actually started this while on a three day vacation to Chicago, but I kinda got lazy and kept putting it off until now :D However, I promise you this. From now on, updates will be bi-monthly, so hopefully, I'll have a new chapter posted on Christmas Evening. I also have another fic planned and I'm hoping to post it on Halloween, although it has nothing to do with such a holiday, if that's what you're thinking.

By the way, this is the un-betaed version, so I'll have to read through this chapter and the previous one some other time. I know this chapter was _really_ slow but please bear with me people. I promise, it will get somewhere soon enough. And I surprised everyone with Kyo's early appearance, didn't I!?I didn't really think he'd come in until about chapter four, but inspiration struck and who am I to deny such a blessing?

When I first wrote this out, it seemed kinda choppy, but I added onto it and I think it's a little better now, but I'd rather hear what you guys have to say! If you have any questions, comments, constructive criticism, (song) suggestions, or even flames, feel free to post them:D

Remember: 'reviews **equal** faster updates' and 'reviews **plus** Pocky-Pocky-chan **equals** solution to world hunger'.

You want to find the solution, don't you? Please review!

♥ Pocky-Pocky-chan ♥

**Posted: **10/22/06 (October 10th, 2006)

**Last Edited: **12/31/06 (December 31st, 2006)


	3. Chapter III: Stained With Ink

**Pocky's Crackity Rants: **Yeah, I'm sorry I didn't update in December like I was suppose to, but I was kind of having a writer's block and I needed some more time to straighten my musings out. I don't know if I did in the last chapter, but I apologize to all my readers for making you wait so long for an update. I really have no excuse.

You know what I _did_ do though? Several things actually. First, I passed the two chapter mark which is a record for me. I use to have a Witch Hunter Robin fic (a very crappy one, mind you, corny song lyrics and all) but I deleted it because I was just so damn bored with it.

Second, I timed it so that chapter three would be posted on my _birthday_! –throws confetti- Twisted little Pocky-Pocky-chan has now officially been on this twisted little earth for 14 twisted years! I should've posted something on my second anniversary on which was on December 17th, of course I didn't realize I'd missed my anniversary until three days later –sweatdrop-

Lastly, this day not only marks my birth (and my cousin's, but that's beside the point), it marks the birth of a new fanfiction by this little psychopath! Go check it out (after you read this chapter, of course.) It's called **Cold Silver**. It's an AU, and very obviously, an eventual Yukiru. Of course, _everything_ is eventual for me. I think it's pretty spiffy if I do say so myself, but nothing I say really matters that much –shrug- Well, review and make me feel good about myself, 'kay? 'Cause if I don't feel good about myself, I write crappy stuff and no body wants that, right?

Oh, and by the way, the last couple of chapters will be proofread and corrected because I've gotten a few reviews saying that there were a lot of typos. I'll try and get that fixed up as soon as possible! –salute-

Okay, the crack is wearing off now. On to the Wow, I've been recognized! Yes, that was me who asked **Winter's Light** if she was going to complete it. She's a very good writer, ne? Well, anyway, I'm glad you think that the characters were IC (or at least the conscious ones -.-;) So far it hasn't been _to _difficult keeping them in character but I never really know what will happen, especially when you consider the characters that will be brought in by at least chapter four. I'm getting stressed out just thinking about it… TT3TT Yeah…I have _way _too much fun with Kyoko. Kyo and Yuki were a little difficult to do although I really can't remember why… I'm not too fond of any mother's from Fruits Basket (save for Kyoko.) Thank you for yet another kind review and I hope you enjoy!

**KenzPotter: **Yay, a new reader! New readers make Pocky-Pocky-chan very happy –nods head- I'm glad you enjoyed it so much and I'll do my best to please you Ruby: -falls on face- I will figure out a way to get you off of me, if it's the last thing I do!

**jHeyTTernallie: **Another new reader! Yay :D I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**HelloKat: **Once again, thank you for such long reviews HelloKat! I've been so neglectful… -sniff- Starting up really _is_ a pain in the ass…This chapter was a bitch to start. After the first line break, things usually get easier though. Tohru was so much fun to write! Writing her part out definitely gave me something to do while at the airport from Chicago to Boston at 4:00 AM…

Yeah, I'm still debating it, but later on, Yuki's mom might get a mouthful of fist. I'm not quite sure yet though (; I was kind of iffy about the moon boy thing, so I'm glad you think it came out alright. That was probably the hardest part to write… Kyo's entry was quite spontaneous; I was still debating how to introduce him into the story when that little scene popped up. Inspiration doesn't often come to me, so I just tossed that in –sweatdrop- Boy I need to learn to plan out the _whole_ story before spontaneously coming up with the stuff and running into dead ends… ;-; and thank you for the song! It really is heartfelt and I think I might include it in future chapters. Most songs I know would be better suited if they were older…

Thank you dearly for your words of kindness and support, as I really need them when I face writer's blocks (which happen more often then not.) Just so you know, whenever you do update, whether or not I have the time to review, I certainly do read your updates and new stories! After all your fics (which I recommend to anyone else who reads this :D) are some of the few that are worth taking the time to read. Damn those crappy two-bit fanfics and cannon pairings –cough_dieMachi_cough- I thank you for your kind review and I hope you enjoy!

**H.E.Y.T.S: **Haha! No pressure, huh? Well, I'm doing my best to update on time (and of course, my best really isn't a lot) but for your sake I hope this will be good enough! Please enjoy!

**edge-of-reality: **Poor Yuki indeed. It only gets worse in this chapter… Thank you kindly for reviewing!

**vaoni: **Thank you very much! It was fun to right this after all!

**emerald kikyou: **Thank you for such kind words! We're so alike too! My parents are both from Lebanon and I went to Syria this summer. You said you went to Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and……I forgot the last one 'cause I'm just dumb like that –is sheepish- I had loads of fun writing Kyoko, so I'm glad you liked how I wrote her! Rest assured, there will be many more chibi Yuki scenes!

**LadyOfWolves: **Cuteness and angstiness; I never thought I'd be able to pull it off!

**xxAmethystEyesxx: **-hugs- YES! AN ANGEL HAS SMILED UPON US, FOR I, LAZY BUM EXTRAORDINAIRE, HAVE UPDATED! IT'S ENOUGH TO MAKE ME TALK IN CAPS LIKE AN IDIOT! –end dummy moment- And don't you worry. Never will I give up on this, no matter how much hell it gives me (and after this chapter, I can guarantee I'll be given a large helping of hell…) I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

**HeartAngel: **Yeah, for some reason, FFNET always acts stupid and they don't send alerts…it's happened to me a hell of a lot of times D: I'M SO SORRY FOR THE LONG WAITS BETWEEN THE CHAPTERS! Between preparing for high school, juggling swimming with school work, and my own laziness, I just don't get any time anymore! I'm doing my best though! –end Ritsu moment- I hope this chapter is good enough!

**WolfieMoon: **I'm glad you like my fic! I prefer AUs too because whether they're badly written or not (although I prefer well-written ones :D) they're always so much more creative! Thank you for reviewing and I hope you like this chapter!

**chocolate waffle-san: **I never thought I'd live to see the day where someone told me my writing was _mature_. I'm flattered, thank you very much! And yes, Kyo, Tohru, and Yuki as seven year olds really is so cute! I'd never seen anything with them at such a young age that didn't have anything to do with cannon, so I thought I'd give this a shot. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Megumi Rutherford: **Thank you for such kind comments! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside when people say they think my story will be great…since I don't have much faith in my abilities as a writer…;-; I'm really excited about writing about the progression of Yuki and Tohru's 'friendship' –waggles eyebrows-

**Drieldwin: **Yay! Two reviews! I feel so lucky! Yuki's my favorite too! And it's complete safe to hug him since he won't poof into a mouse :) His mom is definitely gonna' get hell if I have any say I it…and obviously I do :D

**PenguinGirl: **Angst is my cup of tea! I really have a difficult time writing anything happy… -sweatdrop- And consistency is what's killing me write now! This chapter has been such a bitch… D: Please enjoy!

If I've forgotten anyone, then please tell me so I can note you or something (; I just got volume 15 for Christmas, so it kind of got the creative juices flowing. And I'll warn you now; this whole chapter sucks. **BALLS**. I guess it was kind of hypocritical of me to tell you guys to actually enjoy this, since it sucks and all, and I don't even like this much. So please, if you choose to throw cabbage or other rotting food products, please don't throw hard. I bruise _very _easily… D: -opens umbrella-

Did that paragraph make any sense at all?

XXX

**Disclaimer:** Would I be wasting my time here if I did?

_Italics - thoughts_

'stuff' – thoughts in flashbacks

"_stuff" _– speech in flashbacks

Alternate Universe (AU)

XXX

Return To Innocence

Chapter III: **Stained With Ink**

**_"You never know what you have until you lose it. And once you lose it, you can never get it back…"_**

XXX

"_Such a pretty child…"_

Tiny feet plodded over the flawlessly polished wooden floors of the empty hall, the sound of faint footsteps following in their wake. A small figure was trailed by a taller figure, whose footsteps seemed slower and skin was grayer.

"_Why would such a pretty thing cry?"_

Their footsteps ceased as they approached a door on the farthest end of the hallway. The child's pasty hand reached out from the silky folds of his robes to the indent in the door and slid it open with infinitely more grace than such a sickly child—no older than ten, in fact—should possess.

Entering first, the child gestured for the woman following dazedly behind him to enter. As she passed through the entrance, she became aware of the odd stench wafting through the room.

It smelled of ink and blood.

"_Don't you know I love you?"_

Looking around the dank room, she easily found the source of the musty, thick scent of ink. Even in the darkness of the large room, against the parchment-shaded walls, it was difficult to miss the culprit.

Pitch black ink was splashed and smeared across the entire left wall of the barren room.

In some spots closer to the ground, large areas had been very delicately painted, thin, even coats lining the once-pristine wall; tiny, thin hairs, presumably from the brush, were caked and dried into the onyx coating as well. However, a much greater portion of the wall, from floor to ceiling, corner to corner, was bathed in haphazard shapes of all sizes, splashed onto the wall. Large blots littered the wall, small splatters surrounding their larger look-alikes. Thin, jagged rivers of ink, long since dried, trailed down from the largest of the ink stains. Many of the larger stains had brush strokes—or fingers—running long lines through them, disturbing their artistically natural perfection.

'_What a strange place…'_

As for the blood—

"You don't recognize the significance of this place, do you Sohma-san?" the small child said from his place at the open doorway on the other side of the room, leading to the porch.

"_Even if no one else in the world does…"_

Shaken from her inspection after being addressed, she quickly knelt down on the floor as a display of respect. "No, I'm afraid not. Is it something I should know of?"

The Sohma unconsciously began to rub her arms as the temperature seemed to drop.

"It's quite shameful that you're unaware of what goes on here, but I suppose it only works to my advantage." The woman had to bite her tongue to keep from saying something she might come to regret.

Reaching a frail hand out to the small cluster of birds gathered around him, he inwardly chuckled at the turmoil his company was suffering through. The smallest and whitest of the birds around him boldly perched itself onto his finger, which appeared it would break under any amount of pressure.

"It's been nearly a year, Sohma-san." he continued somewhat brusquely, his mood having soured. "When do you plan to bring your child back?"

The _mother's_ pupils contracted to mere pinpricks, and something seemed to snap. Her hands fisting in her lap, she hissed, "That vile little _killer_ is not my _child_!" Her dark eyes gained an almost maniacal glint. "I never—_never_—want that _thing _back! One disappointment is enough—I don't need another one."

"…_I always will. Because we're meant to be together forever…"_

Sighing, a touch of irritation in his tone, the inky-haired boy tenderly stroked the head of the bird for a moment before shooing it away. Pulling himself weakly to his feet, he walked over to the woman, stopping in front of her.

"Yes, there are so many awful people in this family, aren't there? If they're not killers, they're merely failures." He turned on his heal to face the ink-drenched wall, and slowly slid his small hand over the stains. "But this choice is not your own. You may not want him back, but you _gave _him to me, and I want him back. He _will _be found. Understand?"

"Yes, " she responded mechanically, "Akito-san."

Giving his elder a deceptively innocent smile, Akito knelt down to his elder's level and hugged her. Standing back up, he quickly replaced that rarely displayed air of childish innocence with the mask of a leader.

A God.

"You're dismissed." And with that, he turned back to the porch.

Standing up, the missing child's mother brushed off her skirt of imaginary dust before turning to leave—and, hopefully, never come back. Glancing once more at the black-washed wall, she idly ran her hand over it.

She was surprised to feel a thin film of moisture on her hand. Peering down at it, she had to stifle a gasp.

Her hand was dripping with ink.

_But how—!?_

The mother dashed out of the room.

Akito remained, grinning after her.

"…_in our never-ending banquet. Just us two…_

……_and no body else."_

XXX

Running into the nearest bathroom, the Sohma mother turned the faucet on at full blat, marring the flawless chrome knobs with the thick blackness blemishing her hand. She furiously began to scrub the ink on her hands beneath the jet of water.

It wouldn't come off.

XXX

A blurry shadow flitted on the opposite side of the sliding door, where a polite knock sounded.

"Come in," Akito called indifferently, once again admiring the birds by the porch.

"Why, hello Akito-san!" Shigure Sohma greeted jubilantly, quickly entering and shutting the shoji behind him. "I thought you might be here. What might you be up to? I just saw Auntie run out."

Giving Shigure one of his famous "down-the-nose" glares, Akito calmly retorted, "I honestly don't think it's your place to be prying into my affairs, Shigure."

The 17 year-old boy rested his eyes on the black wall before training his mysterious eyes back on Akito.

"What did you come for Shigure? I honestly don't believe that you would give up your _precious_ time with Hatori and Ayame," the latter's name left a bad taste in his mouth, "…just to pay me a visit."

"Now, now Akito-san," the teen chastised lightly, attempting to step very lightly on the thin ice of the young clan head's temper. "When have I ever done anything to show that I don't care?"

"I don't want to hear anymore!" Akito hissed, clamping his small hands over his ears, trying to block out everything Shigure was saying, and al that he knew he was going to say. "What did you come for?"

Shigure could only sigh in defeat. "Well, I thought you might like to know that last night, I overheard from some people that Yuki had been found; their description of him fit."

If the young head had been ignoring his companion before, he certainly got his attention now. The child quietly approached the older boy, who was now kneeling respectfully on the floor.

"Really now…" he murmured in his velvety smooth voice. "And where did you hear this?"

"I was out late with Haa-san and Aya." Shigure explained. "I overheard a couple talking about some lady who picked him up off the streets. I think he found her wedding ring or something and was returning it to her."

Akito seemed to ponder what Shigure had just relayed to him before climbing into his senior's lap, wrapping his arms around the teen's neck.

"I should've known you'd be the one to bring me news of this to me." the head whispered, clearly pleased. "Always. You'll always be loyal to me, right Shigure?"

"Of course, Akito-san," he replied somewhat robotically.

"And the other two don't know?" Akito pressed.

"Haa-san and Aya? I don't think so."

"Good." Akito crooned. "Such an obedient thing you are, just as it always should be. Besides, I knew I couldn't rely on his mother to bring him back—let alone tell me if she knew anything—and I doubt that Yuki is even aware that he has a brother." Akito's mirth-filled eyes trailed over to the open rice-paper, a draft having formed in the room from the cold October weather.

_Goodness, it's been a while since that door was last closed, hasn't it?_

"I'm surprised you haven't asked why the door hasn't been closed in so long, Shigure."

"Should I be curious about it?" the teen inquired, peering down at the head of raven hair.

"Perhaps; it has been seven months since it was last closed, after all, or haven't you noticed?"

"No, no, I have noticed."

_Good. That's how it will remain until my pet comes back to me… _And with that, the young head began to drift off into a light sleep, cradled in Shigure's arms.

Sighing exhaustedly, Shigure gently kissed the sleeping child's head before turning to stare out the open door, dust coating it's wooden frame after being untouched for so long.

_How much longer will it be…?_

XXX

Tohru blearily opened her wide brown eyes as the light of morning flowed through the glass sliding doors to the balcony. Sitting up ever-so-slowly, so as not to awaken her sleeping companion, the girl rubbed at her eyes, still trying to pull away from blissful sleep. Feeling that it was still a bit too early to be up, Tohru glanced over at the clock resting atop the TV set.

7:32 PM.

_Mommy should be getting up soon._

Content with the knowledge that her mother would be up soon—and maybe the mysterious boy too—Tohru laid back down beside Neko-chan, patiently waiting for the "moon boy" to awaken. Pulling the fluffy sheets up to her nose, the young brunette could only stare—somewhat mesmerized—at her company's pretty features.

_I wonder…did mommy mention what his name was? Did he tell her…?_

Tohru was interrupted from her pondering as Yuki stirred slightly in his sleep. He went through another bout of coughs before settling down once more and unconsciously burrowed deeper under the sheets.

"Eh…? He's…sick?" Tohru thought aloud. Scrutinizing his face quite intently, she found that his skin was unhealthily pale, save for his cheeks, which were flushed with fever. Just to be sure that he was indeed ill, Tohru hesitantly reached her small hand out from beneath the covers, sliding it underneath his bangs, and pressed it gently to his forehead. Resting her other hand on her own forehead, Tohru was able to feel a significant difference in body heat.

He was burning up.

Pulling her hands back, Tohru decided, "I guess I should go tell Mama that he's sick." The small brunette very carefully rolled off of the sofa, mindful of the fact that Yuki was still sound asleep. Leaning over her cat plushy, she whispered, "You make sure he doesn't get out of bed, okay Neko-chan? I'm going to get mommy."

No sooner had Tohru turned her back to relay the news to her mother, had Yuki opened his tired eyes.

XXX

"I know!" Kyoko all but yelled into the phone. "I know the house is full, but it's not like I'd just leave the poor kid out there! He was half-dead when I found him _in the rain_."

"Well, what are we supposed to do?" the voice on the other end of the phone retorted heatedly. "There's no more extra room; we're jam-packed! We don't even have any extra cots!"

"I hope you're not implying that I should've left him on the streets, Izumi." the orange-top growled threateningly.

"I'm not implying anything, Kyoko, and you know that. Adoptions have been kind of slow for a while, whether the kid needs a foster family or a new home altogether, and lots of lost children we have here haven't been found, so we may have to send him to another—"

"You know what? Forget it!" …and the very last thread of patience Kyoko managed to cling to finally snapped. "He'll stay with me until there's enough room for him! I have plenty—"

"Now wait a minute," Izumi halted the rambling woman as she tried to reason with her. "Are you sure you can do that? I mean with Tohru and all—"

"It'll be _fine_." the mother paused for a moment to compose herself before sighing apologetically. "I'm sorry for being such an ass, Izumi. I'm just kind of frustrated. You didn't see him; he was covered in _blood_…! I don't even know whether it was his or—OH MY GOD, I FORGOT TO GET HIM TO CHANGE HIS CLOTHES!!"

Nearly running into a wall in her sudden panic attack, Kyoko managed to string together another apology and a goodbye before hanging up on her partner and slamming the phone back on the charger.

"Mama?" Tohru called, poking her head into her mother's room after hearing the commotion.

"Hn? What is it, Tohru? she asked, kneeling down to Tohru's level.

"I think the little boy is sick! His forehead was really warm."

"Crap…" Kyoko muttered, slapping her hand over her face. "Why did I have to forget to get him to change clothes? How could I have been so _stupid_?"

"Will he be okay, Mama? He's gonna be okay, right?" Tohru inquired worriedly.

"Well, first, I'm gonna give him a bath and change his wet clothes, and then we'll give him some food and medicine and let him sleep." she answered. "If he doesn't feel better, we'll take him to the doctors'. How's that sound?"

"That sounds good! Me and Neko-chan'll help too!

"That's my girl!" the mother applauded. "Now be a good girl and go eat some breakfast."

XXX

Yuki wearily took in his surroundings with barely focused, sleep-clouded eyes. He didn't dare move an inch, fearing that if he did, he would truly awaken and his homey surroundings and the genuine warmth around him would disappear and he would find himself, once again, cold and alone, in the alley that he could still picture so vividly.

…_Nn…so warm…_

When was it last that he'd slept in a warm bed, let alone had a roof over his head? He could still feel tendrils of warmth where gentle hands had touched his forehead. Once or twice, he'd tried to pull himself into a sitting position, but he quickly abandoned his futile attempts and laid back down when waves of dizziness and nausea simultaneously flooded over him.

Just as Yuki began to drift off to sleep once more, he felt himself being shaken awake.

"…Yuki……Yuki…!" Who was that calling him…?

"C'mon kid, wake up!" Kyoko was becoming desperate.

_Why isn't he waking up!? What if he caught pneumonia overnight or something? I could've killed him!_

Desperation was slowly morphing into hysteria. She began shaking him harder. "Please Yuki, wake up! C'mon, _wake up_!"

_Katsuya, do something! Wake him up!_

An icy chill seemed to flow through the room momentarily before quickly melting away as suddenly as it came, and after a bit more shaking on Kyoko's part, Yuki finally managed to crack his sleepy, wide eyes open. "M-mama…is that you?"

_Thank you…_ The ginger-haired woman released a sigh of relief and gently pulled the delirious boy into her lap. "No, I'm sorry, kiddo." she continued when she saw the flash of disappointment on his young face. "Remember though? Yesterday we ran into each other on the street; you found my ring."

Yuki sniffed softly before peering up at the slightly strange, but kind, woman holding him. "I-I remember." _What will Mama say if she finds out I was with a stranger?_

"Well, Yuki," she continued, "you've been sleeping in those wet clothes all night," _or longer, I'm sure…_ "so I'm going to get you some dry clothes and give you a bath, and then you can eat a bit and take some medicine so you'll feel a little better, alright?"

"Um…o-okay." he stuttered shyly. "…maybe then, um…can you…help me find my Mama? Please?"

Kyoko was somewhat surprised by the timid boy's bold request, but answered nonetheless. "I'm going to do my very best to bring you home, okay Yuki?"

He nodded apprehensively.

"Alright," she smiled brightly, taking the grey-haired boy's small hand in her own as she led him into the bathroom. "I'll go grab you some clothes for you to wear and I'll give you a bath."

"E-eh?" Yuki's face flushed embarrassedly as he turned to face the woman. Kyoko, however, burst into peals of amused laughter.

"My god, you're so cute!" Kyoko gushed, eyes glowing with mirth. Yuki looked shocked more than anything. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "You barely know me and here I am scaring you. But you're just so sweet and shy…"

"Oh, then…thank you…?" the mom chuckled a bit more. Coming to the bathroom door, she pushed it open and ushered the 7 year-old inside. "You just jump into the tub and I'll be back with some clothes, alright kid?" the orange-top didn't wait for him to respond before shutting the door behind her.

XXX

Tohru stared after her mother from over the living room table, her doe-brown eyes lingering on the door she shut.

_I almost got to see his eyes…_

XXX

The soft noises of clothes being tossed and strewn all over the place with the occasional grunt of annoyance from Kyoko were the only noises that could be heard from the room as the mother went through a drawer crammed with clothing that hadn't been touched in years.

"This is just _ridiculous_," the woman muttered under her breath, as she pulled out clothing she wouldn't dream of wearing before chucking the clothes over her shoulder, much like the way she emptied her fridge the previous night. "When was the last time I cleaned this old place?" After several more minutes of rummaging, Kyoko cried out triumphantly as she finally unearthed a pair of pants, a shirt, and a sweater fit for a child about Yuki's size. Bundling the clothing in her arms, she rushed back over to the bathroom. Shifting the load in her arms, she reached out and rapped her knuckles lightly on the bathroom door. "Yuki? Can I come in?"

She had to strain to hear his quiet reply; "You can come in…"

Turning the knob, she pushed the door in, only to find Yuki curled up in the corner of the room.

Plopping the clothes down on the counter, Kyoko leaned down beside the bathtub and jerked the dial on and flicked a switch near the bottom of the tub to keep the water from draining. Running her fingers beneath the steady jet of water, she turned to Yuki saying, "The water's already now, so you can hop in."

Once again, the dusky-eyed boy's face flushed with more than just fever. Deciding it would be best not to make him any more uncomfortable than he already was, all the woman did was give Yuki a motherly smile. Gently taking his small hand again, she pulled him shakily to his feet.

"If it'll make you feel better, I won't look," she suggested. After a bit of hesitation, the child nodded. Turning her back to him, he began to remove his worn and wet clothing. Only when she heard the faint lapping of water against the rim of the tub did Kyoko turn around. Even sitting in the bathtub, the boy appeared to be half-asleep, so she decided it be best to work quickly. "Yuki, if the water starts getting too cold or if you feel uncomfortable at all, just tug on my arm."

He sniffed a bit and bowed his head to hide a cough before answering, "…Alright…"

No more words were exchanged after this. Working as fast and efficiently as she could, Kyoko squeezed a bit of shampoo into her palm before gently lathering it into the boy's hair. _Wow, the poor kid hasn't had a decent bath in ages…save for heavy rainstorms…_

Taking a washcloth in hand, Kyoko once again began lathering it up with soap before gently rubbing Yuki down. Said boy was quite visibly nervous, and clutched tightly to Kyoko's free hand, and yet he seemed to trust her, as he had not yet tugged on her arm. In no time at all, the orange-top had the small child all rinsed off and was tenderly toweling him off.

"That wasn't too bad, was it?" Kyoko asked. "You weren't uncomfortable at all, right?"

"No…it was okay," he agreed.

"Well that's good!" she encouraged. Draping a couple of towels around Yuki, she stood up to fetch his clothing. Holding them up, she said, "It's a good thing my daughter, Tohru, was supposed to be a boy! Otherwise, we _never_ would've gotten these clothes!" Yuki almost laughed.

XXX

"Tohru?" her mother called, holding a squeaky-clean Yuki's hand as she pulled him out of the bathroom. "Honey, are you all done with breakfast?"

"Yes Mama!" she replied, poking her head over the sofa.

"I need you to help keep Yuki awake while I get him some food and some medicine, okay?"

"Okay!" Tohru agreed enthusiastically. "Neko-chan wants to help too!"

"Alright then, Neko-chan can help." Tohru's mother helped Yuki onto the sofa before scurrying off into the kitchen. Turning her attention to the boy beside her, Tohru asked, "Is that your name? Yuki?"

"Oh, um…yes. I'm Yuki."

"That's a pretty name!" the little brunette commented sweetly. "My name is Tohru Honda and this," she held up her orange cat plush-toy, "is Neko-chan!"

"Oh, h-hello Neko-san," Yuki greeted.

"Neko-chan says 'hello to you too.'" Tohru answered for her orange cat. "Guess what Neko-chan and me like to eat. Strawberries! Do you like strawberries?"

_She seems nice…_ "I've never had strawberries. My mama doesn't like them."

"Eh!?" Tohru appeared flabbergasted. "You've never had a strawberry?" Yuki was worried that he may have offended Tohru because she looked so distraught.

What happened next surprised him quite a bit.

"Then…then I'm gonna ask mommy if she'll buy some strawberries just for you!" she exclaimed, clearly determined.

Cocking his head to the side curiously, Yuki asked, "You would do that…for me?"

"O-of course I would!" the little girl's small hand found Yuki's own one. "What about you though? What's you're favorite fruit?"

"Me? Well, I like—" the rest of what the boy was about to say was cut off when he choked up and began to cough. Pulling his hand from Tohru's he quickly clamped his hands over his mouth.

"Yuki? Yuki, are you okay?" Little Tohru asked, a thin strand of hair bouncing from within her hair bauble. "It's okay, just take deep breaths…" She moved onto the couch beside him so that she could rub his back to soothe him. Soon, the coughs began to subside, until stopping completely.

Removing his hands from his mouth, Yuki had to stifle a gasp at what he saw.

"_Something tore inside of him."_

"_The pain was almost too overwhelming and it took everything he had to bite back a cry of pain. A bitter metallic-tasting liquid filled his mouth as he coughed into his hands."_

Tohru's eyes widened impossibly before she screamed.

"_BLOOD!_"

Somewhere in the kitchen, glass shattered.

XXX

**The Return of Pocky's Crackity Rants: **HAHAHA! A CLIFFHANGER! I'M HIGH ON CRACK AGAIN! THAT'S WHY I'M ABUSING THE CAPS LOCK BUTTON! –abuses button more- Damn crack keeps wearing off… Okay, anyway, this chapter is, of course, un-betaed. I was too busy with writing **Cold Silver **to really worry about that, so I'll take care of it some other time. Oh yeah. I forgot to continue shamelessly promoting myself. Go read **Cold Silver **right now.

Okay all ye little curious children; if ye all want to know what happens next, hit that awesome little blue button. C'mon, you know you want to. Think of poor Yuki! Besides you can just think of this update as a birthday gift from me to you –throws more confetti- If you don't review poor Pocky-Pocky-chan won't have a happy 14th birthday. You don't want that now, do you?

I didn't think so. –throws more confetti-

REVIEWS EQUAL CRACK, AND WE ALL KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE CRACK.

HAHAHA! THE CRACK CAME BACK! SO MUCH CONFETTI! CRACKFETTI!

Wait, what was I doing?

♥ Pocky-Pocky-chan ♥


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